Mourinho in crisis – five replacements for Chelsea.
Following Chelsea‘s 1-3 home loss to Southampton Jose Mourinho immediately took to the podium to state that he’s irreplaceable and that club owner Roman Abramovich wouldn’t dare fire him since there’s no one better available.
While Mourinho’s track record is one of the best in the world and can be measured against any all-time great manager, there’s no such thing as “irreplaceable” in football.
Here at CaughtOffside we’re going to take a look at who Abramovich should be willing to call if Jose Mourinho does find himself with a pink slip…
5. Gary Neville, England
The Manchester United legend is completely new to the managerial ranks, but he’s been a valuable asset to Roy Hodgson’s coaching staff for England and is as sharp a football mind as anyone Sir Alex Ferguson ever coached.
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4. Jurgen Klinsmann, United States
The United States manager is in over his head trying to build a contender in a non-football country. But he’s a more than capable football mind with a strong familiarity with London and a 56.9% winning rate between Germany, Bayern Munich and the U.S.
3. Rui Faria, Chelsea
Instead of searching long and hard for a someone to install a new system, what if Abramovich just offered the job to Mourinho’s right-hand man for the last decade? If Faria can convince enough members of Mourinho’s staff to stay with him, the Blues can get their man without having to make overwhelming changes.
2. Jurgen Klopp, Free Agent
The most popular coaching candidate in the world right now, Klopp turned Borussia Dortmund into a powerhouse and has major European clubs practically lining up at his doorstep to manage them.
Klopp is a media darling – unlike Mourinho – and is eager to get his hands dirty in personnel management. The level of control he wants could affect Abramovich’s decision to pursue him though.
1. Arsene Wenger, Arsenal
The ultimate coup for Abramovich would be to snatch the greatest manager his biggest rival has ever had and install him as the man in charge at Stamford Bridge. Between Wenger’s coaching acumen and Abramovich’s willingness to spend in ways Wenger can’t, it’d be a match made in heaven (or hell if you’re in their way).
There are whispers that Wenger’s time at Emirates Stadium is nearly up, especially with the club’s inability to win the Premier League for the last 10 years. One more year without the cup could send him right into the loving arms of Blues fans.